While researching the BREC tax propositions, the discovery of the organization receiving $100 million per year, or $250,000 a day, and being overseen by a commission with no elected members raised many questions.
Rolfe McCollister Jr. is a contributing columnist. The viewpoints expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Business Report or its staff.
What has become clear is that most East Baton Rouge Parish residents have no idea how much money is annually collected by these organizations, how those public dollars are being spent, or the way these often unqualified political appointees operate and manage these 42 agencies.
I have already shared many opinions on BREC management and my opposition to the two propositions on the ballot raising some $700 million to $800 million in taxes. The public is really unaware of the condition of our parks and what goes on behind the scenes. The election results will tell me if voters bought the “fool’s gold” BREC was selling.
Wondering about tax revenues flowing to other Baton Rouge independent taxing authorities, I contacted Tax Assessor Brian Wilson, whose office recently completed its mandated quadrennial property reassessment. Here is what he shared regarding property tax revenues select agencies received in 2024. Wilson noted that sales and property development typically generate a tax boost of 3% to 4% per year for all entities. I see that as an automatic windfall to cover inflation.
• BREC: $88 million (plus self-generated and other sources will top $100 million). That’s $273,000 spent per day with 1,000 employees.
• CATS: $25 million. That’s $68,493 a day for buses. CATS says ridership is now half of what it was prepandemic. There were 1,109,900 riders in 2023, equating to $22.52 property tax dollars per rider, not counting fare revenue. And CATS says it will have 114 drivers, with currently 1,500 bus stops.
• East Baton Rouge Public School System: $224 million in local taxes. This means we pay $613,000 daily for 83 schools, 5,000 employees and 41,000 students, including charters. Add in state MFP dollars and you get a $579 million budget in 2024. Divide that by 41,000 students, and it’s an average of $14,121 per student.
• Council on Aging: $12 million. Property taxes generate $32,876 per day for 21 facilities and a fleet of vans and buses. State and federal dollars add $3 million, boosting the budget to $15 million. In 2017, the COA had a $3.2 million budget, a difference of almost 400% over seven years. After the Metro Council failed to roll forward COA’s tax rate, CEO Tasha Clark-Amar told The Advocate that the COA is already struggling with funding, and that now she will likely have to turn away seniors. At $15 million spent, this demands investigation.
• Library: $57.5 million. That’s $157,534 per day to operate 15 libraries open seven days a week and provide numerous services and four bookmobiles. There are 312,025 library cardholders. This agency is the best-run public entity in the parish, with the best-kept facilities and the strongest brand. The excellent taxpayer ROI comes down to strong leadership and team.
There are other public boards and commissions that I didn’t list. Go to brla.gov, and under the “Government” tab click “Boards and Commissions” to see all 42. You will also see a link to upcoming “vacancies.” Maybe you are willing to serve. If so, apply here.
All have power, but only some are financed through direct tax revenue. Some have stipulations or sponsoring groups, but most are political appointees from the Metro Council and mayor. They have made some bad choices, resulting in weak leadership, poor CEO hires and a lack of results for taxpayers. Those should be pointed out, and the politicians should be held accountable for their appointees.
Many of these independent taxing authorities were created because the public had so little trust in the city-parish government to manage its money effectively. This lack of confidence is also why voters tend to reject general operating tax measures, preferring dedicated proposals where how the funds will be spent is generally spelled out.
A significant downside to taxing fiefdoms is that options become limited when priorities shift or new needs emerge. Crime is a major problem in our community, and there’s a very real need for more funding for our police and district attorney. Baton Rouge also needs a new prison and a juvenile detention facility.
But where will we get the money to pay for these things? Shifting money from an independent taxing authority or dedicated tax isn’t an option, so wanting something new or boosting existing funding levels typically requires a new tax. This is the situation we have created.
It’s why voters must take a more holistic look at our city-parish needs before reflexively renewing a dedicated tax or remaining silent when a taxing agency votes to roll forward its millage rates. What are your priorities? How much are you willing to pay for the service and quality you receive from these agencies? Millions of dollars are at stake each year. This is a significant issue for EBR and I believe a debate is in order, in search of outcomes based on data and community input.
We should also look at these commissions’ accountability and the board service criteria. Evaluate all 42 and decide if each is still necessary.
Maybe require annual reporting by each in a public forum to answer to the taxpayers. I would like a new inspector general for the city-parish government to investigate abuse or criminal activity to set a high standard.
This is your government and your tax dollars. So, who has the courage to start the conversation and lead the way—or is this mountain too big to climb?
Will North Baton Rouge move forward?
A mayoral forum held on the Southern University campus was co-hosted by the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, the North Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce and the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District. You may not be aware of these organizations or what impact they have had on north Baton Rouge in the last 20 years.
The NBR Chamber began in 2004. Its mission is “to serve as an advocate for the creation and growth of competitive, profitable and sustainable business enterprises in north Baton Rouge and surrounding areas.”
The Legislature created the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District in 2015 with public funding sources. It is “a nine-member board of commissioners appointed to manage the political subdivision.”
The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce began four years ago. Its mission “is to empower black entrepreneurship to establish a stronger black community.”
But these are not the only ones intent on helping north Baton Rouge—some specifically and some in general—and they, too, have public and private funding. After the announcement of the Amazon fulfillment center, the Cortana Corridor Economic Development District was created with dedicated sales taxes.
At the end of the 2023 audit, it appears to have more than $1.14 million in cash. It is administered by Build Baton Rouge, which created a Florida Corridor Plan. Ninety percent of the district is north of Florida Boulevard.
The theme of the mayoral forum was “Moving Forward, Together.” But other than the forum, how much collaboration has there been between these groups—and what have been the results for north Baton Rouge? Is there too much duplication of effort and stretching of limited resources? Were some groups formed because others were not delivering results? Have any partnered with other Baton Rouge or regional groups on specific north Baton Rouge projects?
So why am I questioning these three specific entities focused on north Baton Rouge? I believe the same questions of accountability should be asked of all public boards and commissions in East Baton Rouge Parish: prominent nonprofits like the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Nexus Louisiana, 100 Black Men, and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Government entities like Louisiana Economic Development and Small Business Development Centers. And our universities doing economic development. What are each of these organizations doing to improve our community, and what results have they produced in the past five, 10 and 20 years?
The focus is often on the lack of attention or support for north Baton Rouge and a search to lay blame. Clearly there are a number of organizations in place advocating for this region, and some have dedicated public funds. Consider, too, that a Black, north Baton Rouge community member has held the mayor-president position for the last 20 years. Results?
We know this community faces numerous challenges. But I hearken back to the theme of the forum: If we want to move forward, we’ll have to do it together.
Constitutional amendments
Here we go again, discussing amending our constitution. As I did, you can read a lot more detail at PARLouisiana.org. My recommendations for the Dec. 7 ballot are as follows:
Amendment No. 1 — NO
The Judiciary Commission receives complaints regarding judges. It can investigate and send recommendations to the state Supreme Court. Some argue the commission is too slow and “takes it easy on judges.” It has been slow but has a small staff. So, if critics want to change that, they can increase the funding and staff.
This amendment would increase the number of members on the Judiciary Commission from 9 to 14, letting the speaker of the House and Senate president get two more picks and giving the governor an additional selection.
This would add more politics to the body—and it could still be slow to act. Plus, recent support on a legislative bill by a majority of the state Supreme Court to give themselves bonuses (even before service) displays a lack of character that doesn’t warrant giving them more power.
Bottom line: Hire more staff if you want faster results.
Amendment No. 2 — YES
This amendment would require that the Legislature wait at least 48 hours before concurring in a conference committee report or amendments to a bill appropriating money. This provides needed time for legislators to know details before voting on big-money bills. PAR points out: “In June 2023, lawmakers passed more than $52 billion worth of budget bills in the last half-hour of their two-month regular session, in a frenzied series of votes.” That’s ridiculous and not a proper way to handle the people’s business.
Instead of operating in business-as-usual mode, perhaps knowing they require 48 hours the Legislature may respect the process, change its ways and make better decisions. We can vote “yes” to force it to do so.
Amendment No. 3 — NO
I am told that this one was set up to be a companion bill to No. 2. I see it as more of a “get out of jail free” pass. This amendment would allow the Legislature to extend a regular session in increments of two days, up to a maximum of six days if necessary to pass a bill appropriating money. In other words, if the Legislature doesn’t correctly handle its business and presents a budget with less than 48 hours remaining, it can vote to add two days—or as many as four or six days—to finish the job. And taxpayers would pay for those extended days.
Tell legislators to manage the process and finish on time.
Amendment No. 4 — YES
This one was one of the most complicated amendments I have encountered and required more research. I have tried to discern the correct answer here. As PAR states, a “yes” vote would “shift Louisiana from a tax sale process to a tax lien auction process when a property owner hasn’t paid property taxes and the local government wants to satisfy the tax debt.” A “no” vote would keep the status quo and continue the “sheriff’s sale” process.
From my limited research, I understand that title attorneys can have difficulty with tax sales and getting clear titles. Redeeming taxes can be difficult after three years, and after five years, the odds of litigation increase. Sometimes, a tax buyer can file a lawsuit and obtain a valuable property for minimal taxes paid, which could be unfair. The Louisiana Land Title Association collaborated with other committees to draft this legislation. It appears this would protect the consumer and make it easier to clear title.
Also, under current law, the tax notice is put in the tax buyer’s name after the first year, which can be hard to track down. Under the new law, the tax lien is filed with the tax notice, which stays in the actual property owner’s name. To acquire title, a foreclosure suit is filed on the lien like a sheriff’s sale. It has to be appraised and requires a minimal bid of two-thirds of the value, as is the case with a sheriff’s sale.
